This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 01.09958, filed Jul 20, 2001, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an article of luggage.
More particularly, the invention relates to luggage in the form of a backpack. However, the invention can be applied to any type of flexible bag, or to semi-rigid or rigid baggage.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Any article of luggage has a main compartment, usually closed, that is adapted to receive the objects that one wishes to carry with such article of luggage, or bag. The main compartment forms the primary portion of the inner volume of the bag. The article could also have outer pockets that form additional closed compartments, and which are adapted to storing objects that one wishes to have immediately available. Lastly, articles of luggage also have outer retaining devices that allow one to fasten additional objects to the outside of the bag. These retaining systems can be constituted by mere straps.
An outer retaining system is shown, for example, in FIG. 7 of document EP-A1-0 612 489. In this figure, one can see a backpack with a retaining device for pressing an object against an outer wall of the bag, in this case on the outer surface of the flap. The retaining device has a flexible tie that runs along a path following return points formed by loops borne by the outer wall of the flap. The length of the path of the tie is adjustable due to a clamp, whose position on the tie is adjustable in order to tighten an object, such as a helmet, a coat or yet other accessories.
Thus, this type of retaining system allows attaching objects to the bag that are relatively bulky, maybe even bulkier than the bag, even if these objects are not really protected, particularly from the rain. Such a retaining device takes up no space when empty and weighs very little, and it is capable of receiving objects of various shapes and sizes.
The drawback raised by this type of retaining device is that it is necessary to use both hands to close the device over the object that one wishes to press against the outer wall of the bag. As a matter of fact, one closes the device by pulling on the free end of the tie with one hand to tighten the object against the outer surface, and by sliding the clamp along the tie with the other hand up to a locking position in which it maintains the tie tensioned against the object to be pressed.
An object of the invention is to propose a system in which the user could perform the aforementioned closing operation with only one hand. To this end, the invention proposes an article of luggage, of the type having a retaining device for pressing an object against an outer wall of the article of luggage, of the type in which the retaining device has a flexible tie that runs along a path following return points borne by the outer wall of the bag, and of the type in which the length of the tie path is adjustable due to a clamp, whose position on the tie is adjustable, whereby the clamp is affixed to a retaining element which is affixed to the article of luggage but which can be spaced from the outer wall, the object to be pressed being at least partially received between the outer wall and the retaining element on the inside of the tie path.